Extracting apparatus.



D. C.-REYNOLDS.

EXTRACTING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 2?. 19m RENEWED FEB. 27. I918.

11 m Patented Apr. 23, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

D. C. REYNOLDS.

EXTRACTING APPARATUS. APPLICATION HLED MAR. 27, 191i- RENEWED FEB. 27'I918.

Patented. Apr. 23, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Specification of Letters Patent.

trlnal application filed tune ea, 1916, Serial No. 105,311.

Patented Apr. 3, Divided and this application filed reh 2'1,

191?, herlal No. 157,828. Renewed February 27, 1918. Serial 1110.219,538.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that T, DANIEL C. REYNoLns, a citizen of the United States,residing at Philadelphia in the county of Philadelphia and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inExtracting Apparatus, of whlch the following is a specification.

The 0b]6Ct of the invention is to provide an improved apparatus forextracting from barks certain of their ingredients.

Another object is to provide in such an apparatus improved receptaclesin which the barks are steeped, and in which the volume of the liquidobtained is reduced by evaporation. I 1

Further objects of the invention consist in providing an apparatus whichobtains the greatest possible quantity of extract from a given amount ofbark; which consumes the least possible amount of steam;

which can be cleaned with the most convenience; which permits the liquidcarrying the extract from a given batch-of bark to be raised in specificavity by reboiling with a second batch of ark with the least operationand waste enepfigy; and which in every way increases the e ciency of theprocess.

The preferred embodiment of the invention comprises elements fullydescribed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawin s in which Figure1 is a perspective view 0 the whole system; Fig. 2 is a verticaldiametrical section of one of the set of extracting tanks; Fig. 3 is avertical section of the evaporating tank; Fig. 1 is a horizontal sectionon the line 4i4 of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Fig.3; and Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail view ofone of the supports used inthe tanks for positioning the tubes.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawings, the preferred arrangement of theapparatus employed in carrying out the present invention is shown ascomprising four extracting tanks A ,A ,A and A provided with drain pipes1, having regulating valves 2, and leading from the bottoms thereof to acommon pipe 3, which drops to a lower level and thence through branches4, controlled by valves 5, into storage tanks B B and F.

From the lowermost portions of the lastnamed tanks liquids are ledthrough ipes 8, provided with valves 9, and thence through a common pipe10 to a centrifugal pump 11, driven by any suitable power (not shown), wh1le from said pump the pass through a p pe 12 upwardly and by ranches13, provided w1th valves 14., to the upper portions of said first-namedtanks.

For the purpose of heating the contents of the extracting tanks, and oneof the storage tanks, the same are provided with steam COIlS 18 ad acentto their bottom walls and are of any suitable construction, butpreferably of the arrangement shown in Fig. 2, each of said coilscommunicating at one end through suitable reducing valves 19 with asteam supply line 20, leading from any desired source (not shown). Attheir opposite ends said coils communicate through individual traps 21and a common pipe 21 with a vacuum line 22, leading to avacuum-producing device (also not shown).

From one point of the steam supply line, an extension 23 leads toanother coil 24 in the bottom of an evaporating tank 25, said extensionbeing provided with a valve 26, which however is not necessarily ofthereducmg type, the other end of said coil opening through a trap 27and a pipe 27 into a condensation well, whence this pure water with itslatent heat units is reheated and reinjected into the boiler forming thesource of steam supply. Said evaporating tank is adapted to be filledthrough a pipe 30 into which lead branch pipes 31, provided withindividual valves 32, from the bottoms of each of the said storagetanks.

The storage tanks are simply cylinders,

either with or without covers, but without any special interiorconstruction, except in the case of the one which, as above described,is provided with a steam coil for maintaining the contents of said tankheated until they are drawn ofi'. However, in the extracting tanks theconstruction is similarto that shown in Fig. 2, and herein lies one ofthe principal advantages of the system and process, as compared withthose known to be at present in operation.

A tank 35 is provided with a substantiall horizontally extendingpartition 36 at a re atively short distance from its bottom well, saidpartition having an aperture 37, while from the sides of the latter is arelatively short section of tube or pipe 38, wh1ch extends into, and toa point adjacent. to the bottom of, a cup 39, forming with saldtube atrap for a purpose hereinafter descrlbed. Extending through saidpartition and upwardly to a point but a short distance below the planeof the upper termlnus of the sides of the tank is aseries ofsubstantially parallel tubes 41, open at both ends and supported inspaced relation with the sides of the said walls by brackets 42, towhich said tubes are secured by straps 43. Spanning the opening 37 inthe partition 36 1s a suitable strainer 44, which keeps solid particlesfrom entering and clogging said trap.

In the operation of the device as thus far described, one or more of theextractlng tanks is substantially filled with very finely divided barkto a point a short distance below the top of the former, while water spoured upon the same until the said bark is covered, the water beingpreferably supplied in the nature of a spray acting to settle the dustof the bark, while the operation of fil1- in the tank is proceeding.

team, preferably at about sixty pounds pressure, is then turned into thecoil 1n the bottom of the tank and the water heated until it boils hard,this action being maintained for approximately twenty-four hours,

and during this time the formation of steam adjacent to the coil andbelow the partition, being unable to ass through the latter by the trap,forces t e water in the tubes 41 upwardly in a practically constantstream, whence it sprays over the bark, upon being turned downwardly byapertured caps or deflectors 46, and percolates through the mass.Gradually in this manner the juices of the bark are extracted, and thewater containing the same is run off by gravity into any one of thestorage tanks.

If the extract thus formed is not sufiiciently dense to come up to therequired Baum, the same is run into the storage tank having the heatingcoil, from whence it is taken and by the centrifu al pump forcedupwardly into the origina, or another, of the extracting tanks upon afresh charge of bark. The same process of boiling and percolating isthen continued, after which, if

the desired specific gravity has been at tained, the extract is run ofl'into a storage tank, and then, if desired, into the evaporating tank.

- partition to a The evaporating tank 25 comprises a cylinder 50,prefera ly supported by legs 50' and having adjacent to its bottom wallthe coil 24 hereinbefore referred to, and near to its upper portion asubstantially horizontal partition 51, provided with an aperture 52,partially closed by a strainer 53, and having a tube 54 dependingtherefrom and into a deep cup 54, to form a trap similar to the onepreviously described, but larger in proportion for the pur ose ofaccommodating the liquid which be ore being drawn from the tank is heavyand slug 'sh like molasses said cup preferably exten ing through anbelow the bottom of the tank, and drainable by a valve 54.

The upper part of this tank terminates in a large, flaring,funnel-shaped section 55, and a series of parallel tubes 56, extendingfrom below and through said partition, terminate near the lower part 0said section, while they are held in spaced relation from the wallsthereof by brackets 57, similar to those hereinbefore described. Therelatively light liquid extract which enters this evaporating tank, isheated to the boiling point by the steam coil 24, and is forced by thesteam upwardly through the said tubes and sprayed into the air, wherelittle by little it loses its moisture and in falling back is led intothe tank and thence through the partition by way of the trap described.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to protectby Letters Patent of the United States is 1. In an extracting apparatus,the combination of a tank, a substantially horizontal partition thereinhaving an aperture, a trap partially obstructin said aperture, andoperative to permit on y a unidirectional flow of liquid throughsaidpartition, a series oftubes extending upwardly through saidpartition, and means in said tank below said partition to heat thecontents of the former.

2. In an extracting apparatus, the combination of a tank, a partitiontherein having an aperture, a trap partially obstructing said apertureand operative to permit only a unidirectional flow of liquid throughsaid partition, a tube extending through said partition to a point nearthe top of said tank, and a flared extension of the walls of said tankto direct liq'uid falling thereupon back into said tank.

3. In an extracting apparatus, the combination of a tank, a partitiontherein having an aperture, a trap partially obstructing the saidaperture and operative to ermit only a unidirectional flow of liquidthrou h said partition, a tube extending throng said oint near the topof said tank, means wit in said tank and below said partition to heatthe contents of the former,

liquid lrem any out the latter ta u It any ed the former, and anevaporating tank adapt- 10 ed to receive liquid selectively from any ofsaid storage tanks.

In testimony whereof I have in: signature.

DANIEL C. REYNOLDS.

